Don’t be surprised if you are reminded of London’s Trafalgar Square or Los Angeles’ Pershing Square the next time you try to walk through Cross Maidan to catch a train from Churchgate.
The civic body’s Mumbai Urban Heritage Conservation Committee (MUHCC) has okayed the restoration plan of the maidan, submitted by city-based NGO Oval Trust (Organisation for Verdant Ambience and Land).
The government recently handed over 23,000 sq-yards of the Cross Maidan to the Oval Trust for restoration on a lease of five years; and the rest would remain with the directorate of state sports. The Oval Trust successfully restored the neighbouring Oval Maidan in 1999.
Architect Rahul Gore, who has drawn up the restoration plan, has very big plans for Cross Maidan. The design, inspired by the Trafalgar Square in London and Pershing Square in downtown Los Angeles, aims to create a lung-space right in the midst of the hustle and bustle of south Mumbai.
Besides complete fencing, the plan proposes a 2-metre wide path made of brick-bat bedding. The 10-metre zone between the fencing and the path will be used for planting additional trees. To insulate the maidan from traffic of the busy Veer Nariman Road, there will be a buffer zone of gulmohar trees on the southern edge.
A circular paved area has been earmarked for circus and other events to ensure such activities are not spread across the ground. The maidan will have two entrances — on the Veer Nariman Road and on the North-west side, to be used for services. Also, the bypass used by commuters will be upgraded for easy movement.
But Oval Trust members say restoration task is daunting because the maidan is filled with illegal hawkers and drug-sellers. Moreover, construction waste had been dumped all along. According to a Bombay High Court order, the southern part of the maidan is leased out to circus and fairs for 90 days a year.
The Trust will require an estimated Rs 4.5 crore to restore and maintain the maidan for the next five years. It wants to keep the garden open to public from 7 am to 10 pm. “We are looking for corporate funding. A green resting area before boarding a train is good news for everyone,” said Shirin Bharucha, trustee, Oval Trust.
A 2003 Supreme Court orders specifies the area as a no-hawking zone. The ball is now in the collector’s court to remove all encroachments. “We have an undertaking from the collector that an un-encumbered maidan would be handed over to us. We are now busy raising funds because we have to maintain the land once it is handed over to us,” said Nayana Kathpalia, trustee, Oval Trust.
